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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Cheryl (IL) is the winner of At Bluebonnet Lakeby Amanda Cabot. Sharon (SC) is the winner of Living Joyfully Free Devotionalby Lisa Buffaloe.Lyndie (TX) is the winner of Sins of the Mothersby Caryl McAdoo.Judy (NJ) is the winner of Double Cross by DiAnn Mills.Shelia (MS) is the winner of Side By Sideby Jana Kelley.If you won a book and you like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Dear Readers, I’ve become fascinated by
books set in Pinecraft in Florida.
Only about a year ago, I found out about this place where Amish and Mennonite
go for vacations. And some of them live there. This is book one in Shelley
Shepard Gray’s Brides of Pinecraft series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this
story. I think you will, too.

Welcome back, Shelley. What are some of
the spiritual themes you like to write about?

One of my
favorite themes to incorporate in my novels is God’s Grace. Having my
characters discover this feels so hopeful and positive.

What other books of yours are coming out
soon?

After Proposal at Siesta Key’s release on May
12, I’ll look forward to the publication of An
Outlaw’s Heart in July. This is my novella in the Among the Fair Magnolias Novella collection. The next two books in
the Brides of Pinecraft series will be published in September and October.
Finally, I’ll be publishing Whispers in
the Reading Room, an 1894 Chicago Historical Romance, in November.

They all sound wonderful. If you could
spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours),
who would it be and why?

I would love to
spend an evening with Anne Perry. She’s my favorite author, and I’ve read all
of her novels. She’s from Scotland.
I imagine I would be happy just staring at her and listening to her talk about
anything she wants.

What historical figure would you like to
meet and why?

I would love to
meet Martin Luther. I’m Lutheran, and we’ve studied his life and writings a lot
in our church. I would be fascinated to learn more about his teachings from
him!

How can you encourage authors who have
been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Oh, gosh.
Rejections! Yes, receiving those are hard. However, you can only get rejected
if you submit and try. So, in a way, I think that’s something to celebrate.
Rejections are also part of the publishing life. I’ve sold over 50 books but I
still get rejections. It’s also helpful to remember that it’s the manuscript or
proposal that is being rejected, not the author. Finally, the best thing to do
is to always be working on something new.

Tell us about the featured book.

For years, now,
I’ve been fascinated by Pinecraft, the Amish snowbird and vacation community
located in the heart of Sarasota,
Florida. Three years ago, I wrote
Ray of Light and set part of the book
there. When it was time to start planning the new series for 2015, I asked my
editor if we could set it in Pinecraft. I spent five days there last year doing
research and soon decided it was one of my favorite places in the world.

The Promise of Palm Grove is the first book in my new series,
Amish Brides of Pinecraft, and follows Leona as she must decide: Does she
follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of
what could be to guide her? She finds herself torn
between the man she’s pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this
heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love.

Please give us the first page of the book
for my readers.

Beverly Overholt
dreamed in color now.

Pinks and
yellow, blues and reds. Green, purple, indigo, orange. So many vibrant colors,
so much promise.

So very
different than her dreams had been when she was in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

As Beverly swept the front
porch of the Orange Blossom Inn, her home for the last three years, she took
care to carefully clear away each stray piece of Spanish moss that had fallen
from the oak trees dotting the yard. And as she did so, she reflected again
that God was so good. He was so good because He reminded her in dozens of ways
each day that change was possible.

Every morning,
He gave her the beautiful sunrises over the Gulf of Mexico,
warm weather, and gentle rains. Flowers and blue skies, palm trees and always,
always the hint of happiness.

In more ways
than she could ever name, the Lord promised new beginnings. Renewal. Paradise.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Friday, May 29, 2015

Bio:
Award-winning author Keli Gwyn writes stories that transport readers to the
1800s, where she brings historic towns to life, peoples them with colorful
characters, and adds a hint of humor. A California
native, she lives in the Gold Rush-era town of Placerville
at the foot of the majestic Sierra
NevadaMountains.

When Keli’s fingers aren’t hovering over the keyboard of her
newfangled laptop, she enjoys strolling past stately Victorian houses in her
historic town, burying her nose in reference books as she unearths interesting
facts to include in her stories, and interacting with other romance readers.
Her favorite places to visit are her fictional worlds, other Gold Rush-era
towns, and historical museums.

Welcome, Keli. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

It seems each of my characters has at least one of my
attributes. Tess, the heroine in Family of Her Dreams, loves to
record her innermost thoughts in writing. Like Tess, I’ve often kept journals.
Becky, the heroine in my second Love Inspired Historical, has a fondness for
words and is quite attached to her dictionary, as am I. Callie, whose story I’m
currently working on, names inanimate objects. If you were to visit my house,
you’d find the Monster lurking in the hall closet, which is what I call our
vacuum cleaner when I warn our skittish cats that it’s coming out of hiding.

What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?

I have several quirks, but one that draws attention is my
ability to engage in Cat Speak. When people visit our house and hear our two
cat brothers with their distinct voices and personalities carrying on lively
conversations, they have varied reactions. The more reserved try to hide their
surprise but are given away by the widening of their eyes. Some grin. Others
laugh outright. I simply remind our guests that they’re in the company of a
writer who’s in the habit of creating characters, so what can they expect?

When did you first
discover that you were a writer?

At the age of seven, I had a light bulb moment when I
realized that the books I loved to read were written by writers. My dream of
being a writer was born that memorable day. Forty years later, I dusted off
that dream and began writing my first romance.

Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

Historical romance is by far my favorite genre. I’m partial
to stories set in the American West during the Victorian Era. Sound familiar?
Yup. That’s what I write. My favorite tropes are mail-order bride and marriage
of convenience stories. I do read some contemporary romances, and thanks to
Sarah Sundin, I read the occasional WWII story. Hers are a must read.

How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?

My sanity has done run out on me. At least there are days I
feel like it’s left. Snicker!

Seriously, though, I have learned to embrace that itty bitty
word “no.” I’ve come to realize I can’t do it all. I carefully evaluate how
much I put on my plate. Even so, there are times when I take on too much, end
up with an overflowing platter and have to do some paring. I suspect I’m not
alone in this. Please, tell me I’m not.

I think all authors
have to do that, probably more than once in their writing life. How do you
choose your characters’ names?

I peruse lists of Victorian names, look in past issues of
our newspaper, which dates back to California’s
Gold Rush, and keep my ears open when people talk about their ancestors. My
goal is to give a hero a strong, solid-sounding name. I tend to choose names
for my heroines that have a dated feel but flow nicely off the tongue. If a
name can be shortened, I consider that a bonus. That way my heroine can have a
nickname. Since I’m a romance writer, I make sure to try my heroine’s first
name with my hero’s last name. For example, Penelope (Penny) Baxter and Garrett
Gwyn would never do.

What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?

In regards to an accomplishment that involves others, I
would say I’m proud of helping my husband raise a daughter who loves the Lord
and is confident enough to be pursuing her dream of working in Europe. When it comes to a personal accomplishment, I
would say seeing my first book released has made me the proudest. That milestone was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?

A chihuahua. I’m small, but I have plenty of energy. I’m
also a big Taco Bell fan.

What is your favorite
food?

I love Mexican food! During college, I often put away Taco
Bell for both lunch and dinner. These days, I often make myself a bean burrito smothered
in green sauce for lunch.

What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Without a doubt it was—and is—self-doubt. While there are
times when the words flow and I feel like I’ve written something halfway
decent, there are others when I’m sure what I’ve splashed on the page is complete
and utter dreck.

Tell us about the
featured book.

Family of Her Dreams, my first Love Inspired Historical, takes
place in a Gold Rush-era town not far from where I live in the Sierra
Foothills. Here is the back cover copy.

A Family to Cherish

Headstrong Tess Grimsby loves her new job caring for the
children of a recently widowed man. But she never imagined that she’d fall for
her handsome employer. Yet Spencer Abbott is as caring as he is attractive, and
Tess can’t help but feel for him and his family. Though, for the sake of her
job, she’ll keep any emotions about her boss to herself.

Between his stationmaster responsibilities in a gold-rush
town and trying to put his family back together, Spencer has his hands full. He
soon finds his new hire’s kind personality warming his frosty exterior. But
could he ever admit to seeing her as more than just an employee?

Please give us the
first page of the book.

The pages of my book are small, so I’ll give you a wee bit
more than that, since I’m eager for your blog’s readers to meet my handsome but
hurting hero, Spencer Abbott.

July 1866

Shingle Springs, California

“Look out, ma’am!”

Tess Grimsby jumped back to avoid a fellow about fifteen
pulling a baggage cart with far too much speed for the bustling rail station.
She collided with a mother herding her four youngsters, causing the
weary-looking woman to drop her wicker basket. Several children’s books slid
across the wooden platform.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” Tess stooped
to pick up the books that had landed at her feet.

The woman made sure her children were all right, dropped to
her knees and reached for a copy of Little Bo-Peep. “It wasn’t your fault.” She
scowled at the baggage handler. “He needs to watch where he’s going.”

The young man parked his cart beside the baggage car and
sprinted over to them. “Sorry ’bout that. It’s my first day on the job, and my
boss said to hurry. I’ve got to make a good impression.” He grinned, reminding
Tess of one of the many boys she’d befriended when she lived at the orphanage.

She smiled. “No harm was done.”

A man with a voice as rich as Belgian chocolate addressed
the teen. “Be more careful next time. Getting the baggage moved quickly is
important, but Mr. Flynn wouldn’t want you to endanger our passengers, nor
would I.”

“Right, sir.” The lad left.

“Come, children. We need to get home.” The mother took the
books Tess had gathered, muttered something about troublesome teens and hustled
her children across the crowded platform.

Tess slid her satchel back on her shoulder, straightened and
found herself face-to-face with a broad-shouldered, golden-haired gentleman. He
was younger than any of the men she’d worked for—and far more handsome with his
strong chin and arresting sky-blue eyes, currently clouded with sadness. If he
was Mr. Abbott—the widower she’d come to see—she could understand.

He held out her journal and said nothing for several seconds
as he gazed at her, his expression unreadable. No doubt the tall man wasn’t
used to looking a woman in the eye.

“Sir?”

The frown he’d worn faded, giving way to a hint of a smile
that caused her breath to hitch. “I believe this is yours. It fell out of your
bag during the commotion.”

“Thank you.” She took the diary from him, its pages so full
of her hopes and dreams—as well as the mementos she’d tucked between the
pages—that she had to grip it tightly to keep items from falling out. She would
add her train ticket to the collection of memorabilia, a symbol of the new
chapter in her life she was eager to embrace. “You must be Mr. Abbott, the
stationmaster.”

I invite readers to visit my Victorian-style cyber home at www.keligwyn.com, where they can find my
contact information and social media links.

Thanks for hosting me, Lena.
Your questions were a lot of fun to answer.

I’d like to end by asking your blog visitor’s a
question. I admitted to naming my vacuum cleaner. What is an inanimate object you’ve
named, and why did you give it that name?Thank you, Keli, for the fun interview.

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Author Bio: Jo
Huddleston is a multi-published author of books, articles, and short stories.
Her debut novels in the Caney Creek Series and her latest book, Wait
for Me are sweet Southern romances. She is a member of ACFW, the
Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN), and holds a M.Ed.
degree from MississippiStateUniversity.
Jo lives in the U.S. Southeast with her husband, near their two grown children
and four grandchildren.

Welcome back, Jo. God
has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?

Now that Wait for Me has released I’ll have
more time to spend on Book 2 in the West Virginia Mountains Series.

Tell us a little
about your family.

I live in the U.S. Southeast with my husband and near our
two grown children and four grandchildren. I’m an only child and my husband’s
sisters live in another state so the ten of us are it.

Has your writing
changed your reading habits? If so, how?

Yes, writing has changed my reading habits. I have less time
now to read for pleasure. I read a lot of writing craft books.

What are you working
on right now?

I’m working on Book 2 in the West Virginia Mountains Series.
I don’t have a title yet. I usually get my titles from a scene or chapter in
the book.

I write sweet Southern historical romances. We’ve lived in
four states in the U.S. South and spent time in the rest of them. I’m a
born-and-raised American Southerner. I probably will set all my novels in the South.

If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?

Amelia Earhart. I’ve always been fascinated by aviation. I’d
really like to know what happened to her and her navigator, Fred Noonan, and
hear her story of their last hours.

What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?

How time consuming writing novels really is. I’m blessed to
be able to devote all the time I want to my writing. I don’t know how writers
who have a day job can find time to write for publication.

For several of my
books, I did both, but I prefer only writing as my work, like it is now. What
new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?

To depend completely on Him. One of our grown children is
battling cancer. In such a circumstance, the Lord is the only constant in our
lives.

What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

1. Ask God to help you write before your fingers touch the
keyboard each day.

2. Be teachable.

3. If writing for publication, be patient.

Tell us about the
featured book.

Wait for Me is Book 1 in the West Virginia Mountains Series, is
a sweet Southern historical romance, and is set in West Virginia.

Can Julie, an only child raised with privilege and groomed
for high society, and Robby, a coal miner’s son, escape the binds of their socioeconomic
backgrounds? Set in a coal mining community in West Virginia in the 1950s, can their love
survive their cultural boundaries?

This is a tragically beautiful love story of a simple yet
deep love between two soul mates, Robby and Julie. The American South’s rigid
caste system and her mother demand that Julie chooses to marry an ambitious
young man from a prominent and suitable family. Julie counters her mother’s
stringent social rules with deception and secrets in order to keep Robby in her
life. Can the couple break the shackles of polite society and spend their lives
together? Will Julie’s mother ever accept Robby?

Please give us the
first page of the book.

Winter, 1955

When Julie left her driveway, she hurried her steps. As the
dirt road dipped, she peered into the night to find Robby. She so hoped he
waited for her. Clouds flirted with the moon, offering Julie enough light to
search for him at the edge of the road.

She reached the place where he always waited but didn’t find
him. She called to him, “Robby, where are you?”

Robby stepped out from the shadows farther down the road and
walked with a slight swagger back toward her. “I didn’t want to leave before I
saw you but I was about to go.”

“Sorry.” She kissed his cheek. “Daddy questioned me as I was
about to leave the house.”

Robby took her hands then bent to place his forehead against
Julie’s. “So, are you supposed to be at Betty Jean’s tonight?”

Julie started to answer Robby but he muffled her words when
he kissed her mouth. A tingle traveled over her insides with his every kiss.

“Let’s get off the side of the road before your daddy
follows you. Let’s go behind the company store.”

She wrapped her long coat tighter around her and
hand-in-hand they moved to the back of the store where the lamppost out front
cast a shadow over them. After more kisses and hugs, Julie and Robby stood with
their backs against the building.

“Julie, are you still leaving tomorrow for that dance thing
in Savannah?”

“Yes, I have to go.”

“But it’s nearly Christmas. I wanted us to spend time
together during the holidays.”

She brushed his dark hair from his eyes. “I’ll be back soon.
We’ll only be gone about a week.”

“Don’t start liking that guy who’s your date down there.”
Robby scuffed the ground with his shoe. “Does he have a lot of money?”

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Dear Readers, since
so many love the Amish fiction, I thought you might like to read this memoir. This is just an added bonus on this blog. We don’t have an interview today, but we still will have a giveaway.

About the author:
Marlene C. Miller joined the Amish as an adult and has been a member of the Old
Order Amish for almost 50 years. She and her husband of 48 years live on a farm
in Ohio
surrounded by their nine children, more than 40 grandchildren, and five
great-grandchildren.

About the book:Called
to Be Amish
Fewer than one hundred outsiders have joined the Old-Order Amish---and
stayed---since 1950. Marlene C. Miller is one of them.

In this rare memoir, Marlene recounts her unhappy and abusive childhood, how
she throws herself into cheerleading and marching band, and how she falls in
love with Johnny, the gentle young Amish man who helps her lace her ice skates.

Against the wishes of both sets of parents, Marlene and Johnny get married and
begin a family. Follow the author on this unusual journey to find out how God's
love called her out of bitterness and depression and into the warm embrace of
her new Amish community.

Accompany her as she dons an Amish dress and prayer covering and gets baptized.
Learn how she endures the strain of ten children, a hundred-acre farm, and
accidents and tragedy, and find out how she comes close to walking away from it
all. Turning Amish has proven to be anything but plain and simple for this
former majorette. But nearly fifty years later, Marlene is still living out
God's call as an Old Order Amish woman.

As always, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Dear Readers, I’ve
become friends with Carol through American Christian Fiction Writers and
Christian Authors Network. I’m thrilled to share her and her debut novel with
you today.

Welcome, Carol. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I met my husband online, thus my life became the genesis of
Cheryl Chandler in DWF: Divorced White Female. Additionally, I set the novel in my
hometown of Malone, New York
with Cheryl living "up" south in Mountain View. I figured, if Lisa Scottoline
can set her works in Philadelphia,
her hometown, I can do the same.

Aside from those two issues, I was going to say that not
much of me goes into the characters. I then remembered Cheryl's sarcasm. Yep, I
guess a lot of me is birthed into my work. Friends say this novel is definitely
my voice.

What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?

I'm not sure you can call it quirky, but I taught high ropes
at our local 4-H camp. Along with most of the world, I love the zip line.
However, the Flying Squirrel is infinitely easier to get into. In this
particular activity, the participant is harnessed into the line and then tethered
to a team of runs. She scampers in one direction while the team jogs off in
another. Before she knows it, she's flying. She has virtually no choice in
taking off--doesn't see it coming, doesn't have to decide to leap. After I--um,
she--screams herself mute, she savors the beauty of the world beneath her
wings. The freedom of the skies delights me.

Years ago, Carol. I
was the 4-H Program Assistant for the county in Texas where we lived. Both of my girls were in 4-H. When did you
first discover that you were a writer?

I'm not a typical writer. I wasn't born with a pencil in
hand, didn't scribble stories before I learned the alphabet. However, my mother
birthed a dreamer greater than Joseph of the Technicolor Dream Coat fame. I day
dreamed my life away, invented all sorts of adventures in my head and usually
made my friends act out my dramas (always dramas back then). At times, I forced
doting parents to pay a nickel to watch us act them out.

As an adult, I wrote Sunday school plays. It wasn't until my
forties that I thought I could possibly write a book. And I did. DWF:
Divorced White Female is my debut novel.

Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

The only books I don't read are the demon-possession ones
like The Exorcist. They scare the
sanity out of me. Aside from that--bring them on. Cozy mysteries? I've finally
figured out how to figure them out. The character mentioned once did it.
Suspense? I'll read into the night and then curse the author for not letting me
get any sleep. Biographies? You read the part of this interview that says I'm a
dreamer, didn't you? I become the subject of the bio.

Hands down, my favorites are contemporary, and those with a
literary bent. I spent most of my life as an English teacher, so those works
must be part of my DNA.

How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?

I run. Literally. One day, after a stressful day in school,
I knew I had to do something or break. I strapped on my sneakers (I didn't
realize we now called them running shoes) headed out the door and ran until my
lungs gave out--two or three yards? I did it over and over and felt all the stress
ooze down to my feet and out onto the tarmac.

Since then I've run four marathons and written four novels.
Running saved my sanity.

As I age, though, yoga is another stress
reliever--especially savasana (corpse pose: one simply lies down, empties her
brain and enjoys the benefits of having been twisted into a pretzel for the
previous hour).

How do you choose
your characters’ names?

I eavesdrop. Sometimes a name grabs me and I use it. I've
used a fake name generator for lesser characters. Cheryl Chandler got her name
because a colleague who was Cheryl's age had her first name. I hadn't read any
other books with a Cheryl, so it was unique. I figured a forty-year-old
wouldn't be named Tiffany or Kaylie, so my protag became Cheryl.

A lot of names suggest themselves. Cheryl's kids all have
androgynous names. That decision came probably more for a challenge for myself
and became a symbol of her independence when she names her surprise-baby Marina--a pure,
unmistakable girl name that reminds her of marinara sauce. Her ex-husband's new
wife is saddled with more unisex names.

I think my biggest accomplishment was becoming a teacher.
Then again, it wasn't my accomplishment, it was purely God's.

During my last year of college I screwed up with drugs. In
my addle-brained mind, I believed I ruined my life, would never have children,
and no one would love (so thus, marrying Neil is probably my biggest
accomplishment). Because of my mental turmoil, I screwed up student teaching,
ruined my academic records and my chance of becoming a teacher.

After graduation, I married the wrong man who gave me the
right baby when we moved to the country in upstate New York. I decided to try teaching again.
With a failing marriage, a ten-month-old daughter, God opened the doors for me
to teach Spanish for a year (I had only two college years of the lingo). I
enrolled in graduate school, worked insanely, got my masters and a full-time
teaching job in my current hometown of Malone.

For thirty-years I developed my craft. The best moments of
my life is meeting former students who tell me about the positive effect my
love had on their lives.

(I try to forget the ones who hate me.)

It was hard. I didn't know Jesus, but my brother Art did.
Probably because of his incessant preaching, I knew, for a fact, Jesus got me
into this field, the one I was born to do.

I love to hear real
stories of how Jesus redeemed someone from a life of failure. Thanks for
sharing that. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

A cat in a doting household. We just got two kittens, and
their lives are perfect. They play for hours, heedless of curtains or
decorations, or the fact that our toes are attached to our bodies by nerves
that hurt. They romp where they will. Then they sleep. A lot. They get cuddled,
curl between our legs at night. Who wouldn't want that life?

I do NOT want to be a stray or feral. Yuck.

What is your favorite
food?

Peanut butter. Cannot go a day without chunky peanut butter.

What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I haven't overcome my greatest problem. Through the help of
good critique partners, I've learned to show and not tell, learned to dive into
the emotions of characters and make things worse for them. However, my greatest
issue seems to be the muddled middle--especially in sub-plots. Once things
begin to resolve, I tire of them and just want to get it done, get to the
conclusion. This especially applies to the romantic elements. Once everyone
knows said hero and heroine will get together, why draw it out?

Tell us about the
featured book.

If you think you’ve experienced a mid-life crisis, Cheryl
Chandler will prove you wrong. Ditched by a philandering husband, rearing three
weird teens (and a toddler—her failed attempt to save her marriage), she knows
only one thing will redeem her life: a man—any man so long as he’s hot.

But how does a forty-something divorcée do that?

The kids have the answer. Go online.

After meeting a string of weirdoes, Tarrant LeClerc
befriends her. But he’s too religious, and she will only chat with him as a
friend.

Then, when she knows this online dating is doomed, she meets
the man of her dreams. Smart, witty and enchanting, Carleton Seymour sweeps her
off her feet, but he’s got to meet the kids. Cheryl refuses to hide
them—although the thought is tempting.

DWF: Divorced White Female, will make you laugh and come away
transformed and transported by Cheryl’s antics.

I slumped onto my bathroom floor, closed my eyes, and
imagined myself in Versace sunglasses with a .357 Magnum. I'd hunt down Martin,
blow the heat from my gun, stash it in my charcoal grey, Burberry trench coat,
and ride off with a Clint Eastwood look alike. After the deed was done, I'd
celebrate with a magnum of champagne. Or a Magnum ice cream.

I didn't use those exact words. I didn't actually bless any Ohio city or anything
else. My language that morning was as blue as the lines on the EPT stick.

I thought I had passed the pregnancy phase and blissfully
entered menopause -- my golden years of bridge games and cruises and cocktail
parties. The kids could care for themselves. Sort of.

At last, Taylor
had abandoned his dreadlock-headed punk phase and would start high school this
fall. My daughter Bobbie still proved labor intensive, but at least Andi had
completed her first year at North
CountryCommunity College.

Correction. In college, but not settled. What was she
studying? Massage therapy. As a high school senior, she applied for the music
therapy program, then switched into art therapy last year. Now this. All this
time, I had thought massage was a euphemism for prostitution. Weren't TV cops
always apprehending sexy, skinny, beautiful masseuses
-- girls not unlike Andi, despite her purple, spiky hair? I learned to deal
with her vegetarianism, her Indian Ying/Yang whatever, but a career rubbing
bodies? Would a cop one day come knocking at my door and arrest my daughter for
massaging pervs?

Despite his obsession with religion, I still feared the cops
with Taylor. With
McIntyre out of the picture and Jesus in it, maybe we cleared that hurdle. Despite
Taylor's
religious kick, he acted normal again. He went to school, did his homework,
visited friends, wanted to be a forensic computer specialist. Insisted we say grace.

Or as normal as a fourteen-year-old boy with an obsession
for Jesus could be.

Obsessions.

My whole family was obsessed. Or possessed.

With worries about my children, tears flooded once more. I
leaned against the wall and cried. I didn't bother to break the toilet paper
off the roll, just pulled the thin, cottony sheets like one of those old towel
rollers in public restrooms my mother told me about. You'd pull the cloth
towel, which would go around and around in circles, recycling the same two feet
of yucky material. If luck found you, a semi-clean, semi-dry bit of cloth would
materialize, and you could dry your hands.

If my youngest daughter Bobbie encountered a recycled towel,
she'd bathe in Betadine for a week...

A very good example
of your writing voice. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Thank you, Carol for sharing this book with me and my readers. I know we're all wondering what is going to happen next.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Welcome, Laura. How much of yourself do you
write into your characters?

So much! There
are hints and slivers of me in all of my characters, although none of them are
me. They all have their distinct identities. I danced ballet for years like
Claire, was on high school dance team like Lindsey and Melissa, lived in Atlanta for ten years
like Raven, have a silver cross necklace like Palmer, etc. Not to mention the
foods they eat and the music they listen to and the trips they take, plus all
the little things that might occur to the girls in my books that seem random to
a reader, but mimic real experiences of mine.

What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?

One afternoon
when I was in fifth grade I felt so much pride practically baking a cake by
myself, even working the electric beaters until … a strand of my waist length
hair tumbled into the bowl. In less than ten seconds, the beaters wound
themselves around that strand of hair and were up to my skull! Luckily, Mom was
in the kitchen. She yanked the cord from the outlet and saved me from who knows
what kind of damage those spinning pieces of metal may have caused. The tangle was
so severe, Mom had to cut the beaters out of my hair leaving a fist-sized chunk
of stubble on the top of my head. It took years to grow out! Needless to say I
almost always mix by hand now, and should the need for beaters occur (say
making meringues) I pull my hair back in a ponytail prior to mixing.

When did you first discover that you were
a writer?

In second grade,
we had to write a story and draw a picture that went with it, you know on that
kind of paper that had lines on the bottom for you to form your letters
correctly and space at the top to illustrate your work? I wrote a
three-sentence story about Sally the Skunk. It was the most exciting thing I’d
ever done. I was so proud of that piece of paper, or my creation. It planted a
seed inside me. From that time forward, I’ve always wanted to write more and
more stories and create more and more characters.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books
you enjoy reading?

I absolutely
love to read. I am typically reading two books at once. This always consists of
one nonfiction Christian book guiding me on ways to increase my faith. In this
genre, I just completed reading Called
by Ryan Pemberton and am about to crack open The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. The other book I’m usually reading is
typically well-written, emotional fiction with compelling characters. I tend to
read a lot of young adult, because the emotions are so raw and genuine, and
because I write in this genre. But I’ll also read historical fiction and try to
dip into the NY Times Bestseller
list. I just completed I’ll Give You the
Sun (YA) and am so excited to dive into All
the Light We Cannot See (NY Times
Bestseller and historical fiction).

How do you keep your sanity in our run,
run, run, world?

I have a deep
faith and find peace and comfort in the fact that I don’t have to be in control
of everything. In fact, I’m not. Knowing God is in control and handing things
over to Him gives me breathing room in a hectic world. I also run to clear my
head and breathe in and breathe out.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

The same way my
kids pick names for their stuffed animals J. Really. I think about who the character is, what she or he
represents in a story, what they would be like to hang out with, and try to
think of a name that fits their
personality. Sometimes a name will just pop into my head, other times I’ll have
to let it simmer a bit, keeping my eyes peeled to names I see in my day-to-day
life, anything from an email I get from a customer service rep, to a name of
someone posting on a Facebook thread, to a list of names on a newsletter. When
I see the right name, I know it, and voila,
my character has a name.

What is the accomplishment that you are
most proud of?

None of my
accomplishments are mine. They are all gift. But the thing that brings me most
joy and fulfillment, besides my faith, is my family—my marriage to a wonderful
man and our four amazing children.

What is your favorite food?

Chocolate chip
cookies hands down. Actually the dough, before they’re even baked, and then the
actual cookies come in second.

What is the problem with writing that was
your greatest roadblock and how did you overcome it?

Getting published.
The publishing industry is highly competitive. Editors are inundated with
submissions. It is a challenge to get noticed amidst everything they’re being
sent.

A writing friend
suggested I get out a piece of lined notebook paper. Every time I submitted my
manuscript somewhere, she told me to write out the name of the publisher and
the date on a line of the paper. She told me not to give up until I had filled
every line on that paper! I know we rarely use pen and paper any more, but
there was something tangible about writing out each submission. It made the
submission itself feel like an accomplishment, which it is. It’s a lot of work
to put together a proposal, research a publisher, research an editor, write the
perfect query, and be brave enough to send it. This exercise also reminded me
not to give up after four or five submissions. That can feel like a lot, when
you’re putting yourself out there, but at that point in the process, there were
still quite a few blank lines on my page of notebook paper. Before I reached
the halfway point, my first novel, was accepted by NavPress.

Tells us about the featured book.

I had a close
friend in high school who was hospitalized for anorexia. I had another dear
friend in college who also had to go into treatment for her eating disorder. As
an adult woman, one of my friends was in a dangerous battle revolving around
her body image. Skinny began as my way to speak to them. To let these friends
know I understood what it’s like to be a female in our society with so much
pressure to be thin, to look a certain way. But even more importantly, I wanted
to let them know they are beautiful, just the way they are, just the way God
made them. Skinny started out as that, almost as a letter, a tribute, an
essay or a short story, but it evolved into a novel about a high school
freshman bombarded by the changes and pressures of high school, seeking to find
a way to regain control of her life. Skinny is young adult fiction,
because the character is fourteen, but my hope is it will touch a place in all
women’s hearts, reminding them that they were made in the image of God, and
therefore they are beautiful.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Melissa posed as
perfectly as a marble statue. Her head bent at a forty-five degree angle, her
fingers spread equidistantly, rigid, and exactly in line with her thighs. The
music pulsed in her veins. She inhaled and silently counted along with Todd.

“Five, six,
seven, eight.”

Even though he
was only five foot five, Todd had a booming voice that commanded the attention
of every girl in the room. The rhythm of the music vibrated from the speakers
on the church’s glossy gymnasium floor.

Like a
marionette brought to life by invisible strings, Melissa jerked her hands up,
forming a V with her arms, snapped her head upright, and flashed a radiant
smile.

“And turn, six,
seven, eight. Lift and lift and slide and slide,” Todd continued like a
metronome. The pulsating beat pulled Melissa’s body back and forth.

Abruptly, Todd’s
solid muscular body relaxed. The coach turned his back to the group of girls
and padded across the wooden floor to turn off the music.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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Monday, May 25, 2015

Welcome back,
Richard. How did you come up with the idea for this story?

I read a novel by my friend and colleague, the late Dr.
Michael Palmer, about the physician for the US President. Since there’s an
ex-president residing in the area where I live, I thought it might be fun to
write about a doctor who, because of the sudden death of a colleague, is called
upon to be personal physician to a former president. I toyed with the idea, and
pretty soon I had the skeleton of a novel. It turned out to be a lot more
difficult than I imagined, by the way.

If you were planning
a party with authors of Christian fiction, what six people would you invite and
why?

Only six? I’d need a ballroom, not a dining table, to
include everyone who comes to mind. But here are a half dozen of them.

We could start with my friend and mentor, James Scott Bell.
Jim is full of stories about movies, Los
Angeles, and his experiences as an attorney. Then I
think I’d invite fellow medical author Candace Calvert, so we could trade tales
about the things we’ve encountered in our medical careers. I’d ask Brandilyn
Collins to be unofficial hostess and keep the party moving. Randy Ingermanson’s
presence would raise the collective IQ of the group and add a slightly
off-kilter slant to the proceedings. Author, teacher, mentor, former pastor Alton
Gansky would see to it that the conversation never flagged. And if he fell down
on the job, you—Lena Nelson Dooley—could reach back into your experiences and
tell us how the publishing world has changed in the years since you first
started writing.

It certainly has
changed a lot in those decades. Thanks for including me. I’d love to be at a
party with all those other authors. I know all of them personally, except Alton Gansky, but I know
him by reputation. Now let’s do that for a party for non-authors; what six
people would you invite and why?

This is where you may wonder about my sanity. All my guests
have passed on. I’d start with one of the finest clean comedians ever known, Red
Skelton. He’d have us all laughing throughout the evening. I’d invite the late Bobby
Bragan, who spent decades in baseball and has a story for every week of those
years. The entertainment world recently lost a fine gentleman, and I’d really
like an opportunity to have an evening with James Garner. One of the pioneers
of medicine was Dr. Will Mayo, and I’d want to invite him because I’d have so
many questions for him. There are lots of authors I admire, both of Christian
and secular works, but the one I think I’d choose is William Faulkner, who
pioneered in saying that experience, not technique, makes a good writer. The
last invitee? I’d ask Kate Smith to sing “God Bless America” to close the evening. (I
get chill bumps just thinking of it).

Red Skelton has been
a favorite for James and me for decades, too. And this week we’ve enjoyed
hearing Kate Smith sing that song at the New York
Yankees vs. Texas
Rangers games. Many times, people (and other authors) think you have it made
with so many books published. What is your most difficult problem with writing
at this time in your career?

Fatal Trauma is my eighth published novel, which ranks far
below the work product of many of my colleagues (including the five pages I
found of your books on Amazon). With each book, I start out with an idea I
think might make a good book. And each time I begin to write, I descend into my
imposter syndrome—that little voice whispering in my ear that this will be the
one that shows everyone I’m a fake and can’t really write. Technically, the
hardest part of each book is the first ten thousand words. The next hardest is
the last five thousand. Oh, and in between isn’t easy sometimes.

Richard, I think all
of us hear that little voice somewhere in the writing of each book. Tell us
aboutFatal Trauma.

It began with Dr. Mark Baker facing a gunman who had nothing
to lose. It could end with him behind bars.

In the Emergency Room, Dr. Mark Baker and Nurse Kelly
Atkinson stand at the mercy of a gunman who declares, “If he dies, everyone
here dies.” At the end of the evening three men lie dead. One of them is a
police officer Mark and a surgeon, Dr. Anna King, couldn’t save. The other two
are members of the feared Zeta drug cartel, and their threat of revenge puts
the lives of Mark, Kelly, and others at risk.

It isn’t long before the shootings begin, and Mark finds
himself under suspicion as a killer, yet still a potential victim. Because of
Kelly’s growing love for Mark, she is hurt when he turns to his high school
sweetheart, now an attorney, for help.

Who is the shooter? And can Mark find out before he becomes
the next victim?

I’m very intrigued. Please
give us the first page of the book.

Dr. Mark Baker swept his straw-colored hair away from his
eyes, then wiped his forearm across his brow. He wished the air-conditioning in
the emergency room were better. Patients might complain that it was cool, but
if you were hurrying from case to case for eight hours or more, it was easy to
work up a sweat.

“Nobody move!”

Mark spun toward the doors leading to the ER, where a
wild-eyed man pressed a pistol against a nurse’s head. She pushed a wheelchair
in which another man sat slumped forward, his eyes closed, his arms crossed
against his bloody chest. Dark blood oozed from beneath his splayed fingers and
dropped in a slow stream, leaving a trail of red droplets on the cream-colored
tile.

Behind them, Mark could see a hospital security guard
sprawled facedown and motionless on the floor, his gun still in its holster, a
crimson worm of blood oozing from his head. Mark’s doctor’s mind automatically
catalogued the injury as a basilar skull fracture. Probably hit him behind the
ear with the gun barrel.

The gunman was in his late twenties. His caramel-colored
skin was dotted with sweat. A scraggly moustache and beard framed lips
compressed almost to invisibility. Straight, black hair, parted in the middle,
topped a face that displayed both fear and distrust. Every few seconds he moved
the barrel of the gun away from his hostage’s temple long enough to wave it
around, almost daring anyone to come near him.

I can’t wait until my
copy gets here, so I can find out what happens next. How can readers find you
on the Internet?

In addition to my web page, you can find me on my blog, on Twitter, and my Facebook fan page. I’m also on
GoodReads and Pinterest, but I don’t spend a lot of time there.

Lena, thanks for having me
as your guest. I appreciate your friendship and support as I’ve gone down this
road to writing. Blessings.

Thank
you, Richard, for being a friend and colleague for so long. I’ve been doubly blessed by knowing you.Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Fatal Trauma - Christianbook.comFatal Trauma - AmazonFatal Trauma - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Deanne (PA) is the winner of To Win Her Favorby Tamera Alexander. Tammy (NJ) is the winner of Island Refugeby Kimberly Rose Johnson.Rita (WI) is the winner of The Lady and the Mountain Doctorby Misty M Beller.Melissa (TN) is the winner of Reservations for Twoby Hillary Manton Lodge.If you won a book and you like it, consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Also, tell your friends about the book ... and this blog. Thank you.

Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.If you won an ebook, just let me know what email address it should be sent to.

When you contact me, please give the title of the book you won, so I won't have to look it up.Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.

Friday, May 22, 2015

BIO: Jana Kelley is a Texan who hardly ever lives in Texas. Raised in Southeast Asia, Jana developed a love for cross-cultural
living early in life. Her love for writing came soon after. Jana returned to Texas to attend EastTexasBaptistUniversity.
She and her husband married a month after she graduated and by their second
anniversary, they were living in a remote African town. After thirteen years
living in Africa and the Middle East, Jana, her husband, and their three boys,
moved to Southeast Asia where they currently
live.

Welcome, Jana. Tell us how much of
yourself you write into your characters.

Side By Side is my first fiction title. The character
that is most like me was the character I had the hardest time writing.
Unfortunately, she is one of the main characters! It was not until I could let
go of her a little and let her be different from me that writing her character
flowed more easily. So I guess the answer is that, at the beginning I wrote a
lot of myself, but as I tweaked the manuscript, I wrote less of myself.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever
done?

I used to live
in a country that required an expensive permit to take personal videos of
anything outside my home. I wanted a video of our neighborhood to show my
family. I emptied a Kleenex box and put my camera inside. Then I cut a hole in
the front of the box for the camera lens and I taped the box to my dashboard
and drove through my neighborhood. It worked great, but I felt pretty quirky!

When did you first discover that you were
a writer?

I wrote my first
“book” when I was six years old, before I’d even learned to spell correctly. I
had a notebook called “My Fan Book” (pronounced “fahn”, as in “fun”). I filled
it with horrendously spelled poems and stories. I have written journals, poems,
and stories steadily since then. In 2008 I sent a story to a small writing
competition and won. That was the first time I realized perhaps I was writing
stuff that other people would actually enjoy reading.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books
you enjoy reading.

I like
missionary biographies because of the challenges and cultures that the people face.
I like historical fiction because that’s the only way I will remember history.
I love travel books and books about women living in foreign countries because I
also travel and live in other countries. A fiction or nonfiction book that is
going to teach me about culture, countries, history, or people, while also
entertaining me, is a book I will enjoy.

How do you keep your sanity in our run,
run, run world?

I do not lead as
fast-paced a life as most of my friends in America. Why? Because I don’t live there!
That’s one thing I love about living overseas. I have discovered that I feel
more in control of my schedule in Asia and Africa than I do in America. I
enjoy activities more fully when my life is not crammed with them. This is
important enough to me that I actually say no to things that are good but not best and I’m becoming quite good at that! I find it helpful to ask
the Lord what are the activities He wants me to be involved in each week, and I
put those on my calendar. I try to stay true to those commitments and say no to
things that conflict or take away from what I know to be the most important
activities in each day.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Side By Side has a lot of Arabic characters. I have
always loved the name Halimah so that’s what I named the main character. For
the other Arabic names I looked them up on the Internet and chose the names
that I know would be common names for the country Side By Side is set in.
The American names just came to me. I was not as attached to the American names
as I was to the Arabic ones. One time I did a Facebook poll for the last name
for my main character. That was a lot of fun!

What is the accomplishment that you are
most proud of?

I’m still a new
author so Side By Side is the accomplishment I am most proud of in my
writing life. But I have to say here that I can almost visibly see God’s hand
in the whole process, so I honestly do not feel like this book is something
that I can take credit for. Side By Side is a written version of
God’s grace and faithfulness in my life.

If you were an animal, which one would
you be and why?

I would be a
cat. Cats have a fantastic, yet dry, sense of humor. They can be a quiet
presence in the room, but can also let everyone know they are around if they
choose to do so. They are smooth and silky and graceful. I’d be a short-haired
cat though. I’d hate all that long hair to get caught on my rough tongue.

What is your favorite food?

I choose savory
over sweet every time. My all-time favorite food is chips & salsa. I’ll eat
it as a meal if I can. But if I have to actually choose a main dish, I’ll
choose Lebanese food. Hummus and stuffed grape leaves are to die for!

What is the problem with writing that was
your greatest roadblock and how did you overcome it?

My biggest
problem was the lack of time. I was homeschooling when I began to write the
first novel. The main thing that kept me going was a strong drive to accomplish
the task. Where there is a will there is a way, right? So I asked my kids to give
me one hour of alone time after
school was over. Unfortunately for me, this is the one hour that would
otherwise have been my nap time! So for at least one hour a day, I secluded
myself in my bedroom with my laptop and I wrote. As I began to see progress, I
got more inspired and my routine became easier.

Tell us about the featured book.

Are Muslims
scary to you? Have you ever thought about what life is like for a Muslim woman?
Side
By Side is the story of two women who live in a Muslim country. One is
Muslim and one is Christian. This novel is based on true events. The reality
may surprise you!

Please give us the first page of the
book.

“You’re moving
to . . . Sudan?”

“Yes, Mom. Sudan.” Mia put
the last dinner plate in the dishwasher and then joined her mother at the
kitchen table.

“I’ve heard they
have a lot of orphanages.” Her mother’s cheery voice squeaked a little higher
than usual, as if she were forcing the words out.

“That’s South Sudan. North Sudan
is a different country altogether.” Mia willed her voice to remain calm. She
had to be patient. This news was a lot for her parents to take in.

“And you say
you’ll live in . . . Khartoum?”

“Yes. Khartoum. That’s the
capital city.” Mia wondered how Michael was doing with her father in the living
room. She absently twisted a blonde curl between her fingers and looked at her
mother’s strained face.

“Mom, Michael
and I made this decision together. I don’t need to check with him. He will be
working as the project manager at the head office in Khartoum as well as in the displacement camps
just outside of the city. A lot of families who had to escape war-torn areas in
Sudan moved to Khartoum. They live in
these camps as refugees.”

“Tell me again
why it has to be Sudan.”

Mia had to hand
it to her mom for at least trying to understand. “Kellar Hope Foundation is an
organization that helps families all over the world. Sudan is just one of them.”

How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love to
connect with readers! You can find me at www.JanaKelley.com
From there you can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, email, and
you can get information on Side By Side and my other books.

Thank you, Jana, for
sharing your new novel with me and my blog readers. I have a number of close
friends who are missionaries is various foreign countries, so I will love
reading Side by Side. I’ve bee
privileged to go on over a dozen short-term mission trips into Central America.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com